Pakistan’s textile sector has shown remarkable growth, with textile exports rising by 10.60% during the first seven months (July–January) of the financial year 2024-25, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
This increase reflects the resilience and strength of the country’s textile industry, which continues to be a significant contributor to Pakistan’s overall exports. The textile exports were recorded at an impressive $10.77 billion during July–January 2024-25, compared to $9.73 billion during the same period in 2023-24.
Several textile commodities have driven this growth, with cotton cloth seeing a 3.99% rise in exports, reaching $1.13 billion from $1.09 billion. Additionally, knitwear has been a major contributor, with exports surging by 18.16%, amounting to $3.03 billion, up from $2.57 billion last year. Bed wear, which remains a strong staple in Pakistan’s textile exports, also witnessed significant growth, increasing by 14.71% to $1.87 billion from $1.63 billion.
Other textile products have followed a similar upward trajectory, with towels seeing a 6% increase, amounting to $632 million, compared to $596 million in the previous year. Tents, canvas, and tarpaulin exports grew by a remarkable 18.91%, reaching $83.5 million this year, up from $70.26 million. Readymade garments also experienced a boost, with exports growing by 21.90% to $2.44 billion from $2.00 billion last year.
In addition to these, art, silk, and synthetic textiles saw an increase of 12.91%, reaching $237 million, up from $210 million, while made-up articles (excluding towels and bed wear) grew by 10.98%, amounting to $460 million. Exports of other textile materials also recorded a slight increase of 4.55%, totaling $433 million.
However, not all textile categories performed well. Raw cotton exports saw a dramatic drop of 98.90%, falling to just $616,000 compared to $55.75 million last year. Similarly, cotton yarn exports fell by 35.77%, from $669.83 million to $430.23 million, and cotton carded or combed exports plummeted by 98%. The export of yarn other than cotton yarn also declined by 6.07%, from $21.66 million to $20.34 million.
On a year-on-year basis, textile exports showed a substantial increase of 15.85% in January 2025 compared to January 2024, with exports reaching $1.69 billion, up from $1.46 billion. On a month-on-month basis, January 2025 saw a 14.12% rise in textile exports, compared to $1.48 billion in December 2024.
This growth in textile exports highlights Pakistan’s continued dominance in the global textile market, despite the challenges faced by the industry. With increased demand for products such as knitwear and bed wear, Pakistan’s textile sector remains a crucial part of the country’s economic recovery and future prospects.